MikePadgett.com

Last year, we managed to get tickets for the Buena Vista Social Club presents date at Sheffield City Hall but we were in the cheap seats. Having long since learned that the band was due to return this year, I was better prepared and booked early!

As far as it was possible to tell, the thirteen band members were unchanged this time around.

Starting with the veterans: supercool Manuel Galbán on guitar, the dextrous Barbarito Torres on laoud, cuddly virtuoso Guajiro Mirabal on trumpet, Amadito Valdes in cracking form on percussion, Orlando ‘Cachaito’ Lopez looking a little less frail this year on double bass and Jesus ‘Aguaje’ Ramos running the show on trombone.

Don Guajiro played alongside Luis Alemañy on trumpet and Javier Zalba on saxophone and flute; Amadito was joined by Filiberto Sanchez and Angel Terry. The younger generation was represented by singers Idania Valdes and Carlos Calunga, whilst Ronaldo Luna proved a brilliant pianist in several solos including a special “duet” with Cachaito.

This year, the set included notably fewer of the “old favourites” and the concert was better for it. The crowd was still treated to Cuarto de Tula and Dos Gardenias but newer additions such as Isora Club were tightly executed with a nice touch of jazz swing in the mix.

Word is that the band’s ungainly moniker of “Buena Vista Social Club presents…” will be replaced later this year with “Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club”, which may mean that some studio recordings are in the offing. With the introduction of a considerably wider repertoire and such dependably sharp performances as these, I certainly hope so!

In my second year at University, among others I shared the house at 69 Harcourt Road with Bing, a Maths undergraduate of a certain culture who ate a lot of tinned salmon.

Bing and I both frequented the Showroom Cinema opposite the railway station. One day he returned from one particular screening raving about what he’d seen and insisting I get down there sharpish and catch it.

That was the first run of Wim Wenders’ Oscar-nominated documentary Buena Vista Social Club and I didn’t catch it. Nor did I catch the second run.

It would be eight years more before I finally picked up the original World Circuit album and inevitably a number of those ageing musicians had passed on: Compay Segundo, Ibrahim Ferrer, Pio Leyva, Ruben Gonzalez, Manuel Puntillita Licea.

Four of the original members are currently on tour in the United Kingdom. All of the dates I’ve seen advertised are sold out.

This time I was not prepared to miss out so easily and I booked the tickets three months in advance. It was more than worth the wait, and those four original Buena Vista members (Manuel Galbán, Orlando Cachaíto López, Jesús ‘Aguaje’ Ramos, Guajiro Mirabal) were joined by a fifth, namely nimble-fingered laoud player Barbarito Torres.

The venerable greats were joined by members of an emerging younger generation. Pianist Ronaldo Luna evoked memories of Gonzalez’ beautiful solos. Following in Ferrer’s footsteps came Carlos Calunga, whose extraordinary vocal range was ably backed by Idania Valdès, the daughter of original Social Clubber Amadito.

The set list included elements of son montunos, danzón, cha cha cha, boleros and Cuban jazz. Alongside Social Club favourites such as Candela and Dos Gardenias, there was a lively rendition of Chanchullo and even a tender Somewhere Over The Rainbow, providing a beautiful contrast to the more raucous numbers.